In general, plasma display panels (PDPs) display images including text and graphic images by applying a predetermined voltage to a number of electrodes installed in a discharge space to cause a gas discharge and then exciting phosphors with the aid of plasma that is generated as a result of the gas discharge. PDPs are easy to manufacture as large-dimension, light, and thin flat displays. In addition, PDPs can provide wide vertical and horizontal viewing angles, full colors and high luminance.
In the meantime, external light incident upon a PDP may be reflected by an entire surface of the PDP due to white phosphors that are exposed on a lower substrate of the PDP. For this reason, PDPs may mistakenly recognize and realize black images as being brighter than they actually are, thereby causing contrast degradation.